


Inhale, Exhale

by boys_in (kaleidosphere)



Series: FE Femslash February 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Friendship/Love, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidosphere/pseuds/boys_in
Summary: "You're a sight for sore eyes."-Day 1, Prompt: Breathe
Relationships: Leonie Pinelli/Bernadetta von Varley
Series: FE Femslash February 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620010
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41
Collections: FE Femslash February 2020





	Inhale, Exhale

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Thought I might start off my FE Femslash February journey with one of my favorite pairs, Bernie/Leonie! I didn't tag other characters, but Claude, Lorenz, Byleth, and Flayn are mentioned for a hot second. I appreciate you guys for the support, and for reading my works. Enjoy!

Leonie never said it, but she often pitied Bernadetta von Varley. The girl was a meek thing from the beginning by refusing to come out of her room, and running at the first sight of people. Hardly anyone spoke to her, and those that did found themselves regretting it the moment she turned the conversation on its head, transforming it into a self-deprecating rant of some sort.

But Professor Byleth must have gotten to her, because why else would she ask to join the Golden Deer House? At least, that was what Leonie thought as as she approached Bernadetta for the first time, and tried making small talk with her.

The conversation was rough, as Bernadetta admitted she heard some unsavory things about commoners, and Leonie misunderstood that to be a prejudice on her part, rather than another consequence of her fear and anxiety. In the end, the two of them smoothed things out, and Leonie even extended the hand of friendship, earning herself the right to refer to the shy, purple-haired archer as "Bernie."

Yes, Leonie Pinelli pitied the young noble girl who fled to the shadows, but she did _not_ feel the same way for Bernie—her trusted friend and ally, who remained loyal to a cause that was not initially hers, but that she became a part of, nonetheless. The students all made a promise five years ago to return to the monastery, and every last one of them held fast to it.

Leonie understood this well enough that she didn't have to say it. Around Bernie, she didn't have to be so defensive, and her eyes could soften at the mere sight of her, who had become so elegant and refined as the years went by. Before, when they all wore similar uniforms befitting Garreg Mach, Leonie couldn't really tell that the other had been a noble. But now, with their academy dissolved and their lives at stake, everyone wore the colors which suited them best. Bernie's family must have spared no expense, because she was glittering in gold and violet colors, with straightened hair and a healthier complexion—compared to the last time Leonie saw her, anyway.

"Leonie? You okay?" Bernie asked on the first day they reunited. Up until now, they were separated by five years in time and half a continent in space, but they picked up their friendship right where they had left off. "Y-You're staring at me. Is it my hair? Because I like it this way, but now you're making me wonder if I should shave it all off…"

"No, your hair's fine. Great, even!" Leonie smiled, banishing her flustered thoughts and forcing herself to put on a front. One hand over Bernie's shoulder, another rested at her hip, and she was the epitome of casualness and composure. "It's good to see you again, Bernie. I missed you."

"I missed you too," she muttered sheepishly. "T-To tell you the truth, I pretty much ran away from home. It's the only chance I have, and I'm better off here than stuck with my father for the rest of my life."

Leonie's hands tightened. She remembered just how much she hated Count Varley, himself, and all the trouble he put his only daughter through. Leonie never got a chance to tell Bernie her feelings about the man before they separated, but now that the two of them were essentially _freed,_ in a way, then she could be completely honest with her.

Instead, Leonie held it all in, with a controlled breath that was more painful than it sounded. "I'm glad you're here now," she insisted. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

.

.

There were so many bandits! Or maybe, there had always been this amount of bandits, and the monastery being abandoned for so long invited them to come out of hiding all at once. Leonie remembered how the place was crawling with them, and it took her and the rest of the Golden Deer originals to take them out. She met with her beloved professor at that time, too, and everything seemed to go uphill from there.

But now, there were still so many of them! And Leonie wouldn't mind, except that she hated thieves who couldn't resort to more than just _stealing_ to survive. It was so simple and so cowardly that anyone could do it, which was why Leonie took the harder route and put herself into debt, collecting money from her town to fund her tuition at Garreg Mach, in hopes of securing a brighter future.

 _Some future_ that _is,_ she thought bitterly. Cleaning up after these fools wasn't the life she imagined for herself, but someone has to do it.

Today, it was up to her, Bernie, Lorenz, and Flayn to take out a small group of bandits that holed up in one of the abandoned buildings in town. While more and more people were coming back to Garreg Mach, there were still parts of it that were destroyed, and bandits made their residence like moths to a flame—hoping that their forces were too scattered to be noticed by the soldiers.

Leonie scoffed at their arrogance, and relished in the way that a bandit fell to the ground, _dead,_ after the third arrow flew. She hadn't spent the last five years doing nothing, after all. She worked hard and put her skills to use, riding on horseback and practicing archery. She felt comfortable with a bow in hand, string taut as she fired at the offenders.

Claude said to spare them if it was possible. Leonie detested the idea that they might come back, so she was less merciful than instructed.

Bernie was the opposite. While Lorenz and Flayn teamed up to take out one side of the bandit stronghold, Leonie and Bernie supported each other on the opposite side. Bernie didn't have a steed, so she made use of her long-distance shots, calculating the measures in her head before firing decisively—arrows soaring with bright purple fletches. But unlike Leonie, Bernie felt sympathy for the bandits involved. Ever since the fall of Garreg Mach, things got harder, for nobles _and_ commoners alike. She never used to worry about food, housing, or supplies before. Her experience in the Officers Academy, combined with her struggles as part of the new Leicester Alliance, helped her see beyond that.

Yet she hesitated to kill. She had done so much of it in the past, after all, that it saddened her to think some things never changed. Regardless of her personal feelings on the matter, she put in her best effort, and muttered apologies to any sorry souls that got in her way.

They had seen the last of them, until a final adversary—an assassin, whose desperation pushed them to newfound heights—snuck up behind Bernie, and raised their sword over her head.

She saw the shadow of the blade cast on the ground before she could react to it, and Bernie's life flashed before her eyes: her bedroom, Professor Byleth knocking, the greenhouse, Leonie talking to her, Leonie shouting at her, Leonie having a sleepover, the two of them sneaking into the dining hall for midnight snacks, a loud draconic roar—and then nothing—the way the land owned by her father looks when it's far behind her, fading into the distance, the monastery steps, the abandoned town square, the look on Professor Byleth's face when they found Bernie in front of her old room, Claude asking if she'd be okay with taking out some bandits.

In those precious seconds of time, Bernie stood still while Leonie came up behind her, and ran the assassin through with her lance.

The body _thudded_ to the ground, and Leonie dismounted in a flash. "Bernie, are you okay?!"

"I—I—" she gasped. What was she supposed to say? Should she be grateful? Should she apologize? Why were the words struggling to come out when she tried her hardest to make them a reality?

She didn't realize that her hand was over her chest, or that she had collapsed to her knees out of pure exhaustion, all while Leonie stayed by her side with a worried look and steady hand. "Bernie, it's okay," she said. It was a familiar tone, one she used to take with her back when they were kids and Bernie would get scared of going out of her room at night. "Just _breathe,_ Bernie. Just breathe."

It never worked when people told her that. Count Varley, once upon a time, tried to be affectionate towards her when she got scared like this. His affections soon turned into an obsession, and his obsession morphed into indifference before she knew it. And so many people would tell her the same things: it's okay, just breathe, I'm here for you, it's alright.

Leonie's words shouldn't have been any different, but Leonie wasn't like everyone else. She was strong, steadfast, and _caring—_ never once did she criticize Bernie, yell at her, or make her feel like she was a shadow on the wall. While she had calmed down considerably from her explosive days at the academy, the fire still remained, and Bernie felt its flames as Leonie guided her hands over her skin—calming her, reassuring her.

Instead of getting scorched, Bernie was enveloped in _warmth,_ and she gently inclined towards Leonie's kind touch.

It was hard to breathe sometimes.

Leonie made it better.


End file.
